Have a magical day!
by nattyzeenha
Summary: AU: When Kagome, a Disney World cast member, helps his daughter find her way to safety and her way back into somewhat-of-a-normal-childhood after years of his stern and standoffish nurture, Sesshoumaru has to find ways to help her out of her own prison of mind as his gratitude grows into admiration and ultimately obsession. (Rating may change)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: all about that magic

The alarm rang through the room and once again Kagome shifted through her several layers of blankets, taking mental note to eventually change the ringtone out of the factory setting. She never did.

Her hand peeked from the curtain of fabric to reach for the abusive phone, willing it to stop although it, too, never stopped.

Her morning routine was as ever the same: mentally calculating if it was at all possible not to get out of bed in that particular day without severe consequences, or how late could she be for work before getting another attendance reprimand. Math had never been quite her alley, but when it came to counting those points and making sure to maximize any possibility to stay in bed without getting fired, she had already a masters degree.

It wasn't that her job was all that aversive; no, she quite enjoyed spending the day getting paid doing what she already did for free: greeting people and making sure their needs were met so happiness would ensue. The source of her morning apathy was beyond her grasp. There were just days, weeks, in which getting up and contemplating life seemed too hard of tasks for her small body, as if a vampire had been perpetually attached to her neck, and it felt on her carrying them around and living with the burden of sharing energy between herself and a very starving demon.

On the previous day, the young woman had decided on not doing her laundry and, instead, waking up half an hour earlier to exchange the dirty uniform she had in her possession for a new set of clean clothes in the theme park she worked at. It was easy, she wouldn't be required to do any actual work, just show up early enough to exchange the clothing before clock-in time.

Small tasks, tiny plans like this one proved harder and harder to follow through with, however, and by the time her eyes focused on the clustered room, her mind was already half-made to just reuse her dirty uniform. It wasn't like anyone would actually pay attention to her, she tried justifying as she slid into the slightly tight pair of pants, taking note of how they had been a perfect fit for her just a few weeks before.

Sighing and pushing aside the turmoil that had taken over her mind, Kagome finished undressing and took to the vanity to apply her morning dose of make-up.

That was something she never, even in her most depressed state, left aside. She would rather stay in and skip work altogether - which she often did - than leave the house bare faced. For a few seconds she let her eyes stare at the reflection, impassive, memorizing every detail of her plain likeness, scrutinizing it while moving her face, catching her reflection in different positions, trying to figure out which she abhorred the less.

Going to work was convenient - she was only required to take a bus provided by the theme park itself, so Kagome never bothered purchasing a car or searching any other method of transportation. That was the route she took every single working day, and her days off were never spent too far away from her computer; she knew nothing of the area she had lived in for the past year, nor the vicinities of her work location. Her bubble was made of perfectly synced trips to and from work, as her few hobbies were perfectly alined with working at a world-renown theme park, so whatever money she made or energy she had were applied in her own work location, as a customer.

#

Working at Disney World had been her dream since she knew it to be possible to dream. All those smiling people on the tv, the laughter ringing deep in your ears, the extravagant foods and the magic - oh, the magic.

That magic that overtook her own body as she stepped into the employees gate that morning. Working or traveling to Disney seemed to her like immersing in a environment divergent from any other. If you were a guest, you would find at Disney top quality costumer service, everyone and everything seemed - as was - designed to attend to your comfort, and even when small problems surged, they were solved with efficiency and in a way to make you feel special, like the whole world stopped to attend to your particular needs. Being a cast member, an employee in the theme park, there was instant gratification for even the smallest gestures. Kneeling down to a small child's height and whispering a secret, gifting them with small stickers or a delicious ice-cream would earn genuine smiles and memories that she knew those guests would cherish forever, and that made her feel somewhat appreciated. Needed, even. Loved, maybe. Kagome had tasted the world outside of that bubble and found it to be rather cold and cruel.

Clocked in, she already felt re-energized. It was hard to remember why she had not wanted to get out of bed that morning, being there, smily and receptive.

"Good morning, everyone" she greeted the whole break room, ignoring, as usual, the fact that most of them didn't look quite as happy as her that particular morning. Those who weren't bitten by the Disney bug could find the job particularly... annoying. It was Kagome who could only see the marvelous happiness revolving it; the rest saw it for what it was: a job very short of forced labor.

Now that she was there, she could not wait to start working again. Staying in the break room, "resting" as the others would call it, was singularly boring to her. Her fun was outside, with the guests, the young children and the grown-up children, too!

She was out in the attraction entrance fifteen minutes earlier than necessary, fixing the pouch full of crayons and stickers she collected during the week.

Her first assignment for the day was her favorite, the joy clear in her rose cheeks and bright smile: she would be responsible to merge the express and the normal line into one single line as they approached the "boarding" zone. It was the best position to get to talk to the guests, interact with them and maybe tweak their day a little bit, in case they were stressed by the long waits. There she had met truly incredible families, from all over the world, and bonded with several single-riders like her. Of course, as was the nature of her job, she had never seen most of them again, but she recollected with pride all the smiles she had created there.

#

When afternoon came, so did her lunch break, a most dreaded time of day. True to her collected personality backstage - when she was not working and felt free to interact with anyone, because it was the nature of her job, after all - she didn't have friends, even though she would soon celebrate a whole year in the company. Lunch was frightful, all eyes seemed to befall her, judgmental and condemning. She felt terrified of even looking those people in the eyes, as she knew - knew, for sure - what they thought of her. That she was weird, awkward, fabricated. And the further away she felt from her coworkers, the further she isolated herself.

"You don't need this. You do stuff alone because you want to. You are independent, you know your own rhythm." She usually told herself, and more often than not it did nothing to appease the sadness she felt that people didn't care if she self-isolated, because they would rather have her far away, too.

Kagome was taking her sweet time to and from the cafeteria, avoiding unnecessary time by herself in the break room, when she caught, from the corner of her eye, a small girl sitting by herself in a bench, collected and calm, but hauntingly alone for a child in a theme park.

Children made Kagome anxious in normal situations. She feared for their safety in a place so invitingly full of threats, like Disney. How horrified she became when one of them tried climbing the gates that surrounded the main water fountain of the park. And how annoyed she got when seemly she was the only one that cared; neither the other cast members or the parents themselves would take proper care of these kids, and her anxiety grew as her notion of self-determined responsibility also grew.

But children like the small girl whose resemblance to herself she failed to notice at that moment, apparently alone, drove her anxiety into full panic attacks.

Her managers had showed concern with her overboard protectiveness of the children, though - and that seemed particularly counter-intuitive, being that she worked to make sure these guests were safe, the children most of all - so even if her blood chilled at the sight of the girl by herself, she refrained from intervening just yet. She stopped nearby, keeping her eyes set on the girl for long five minutes during which no adult came remotely close. The little girl didn't seem frightened or worried and that drove Kagome into doubt. Was she lost or maybe was her grown up close by and she was the one failing to see them?

Done waiting, she calmly approached the bench, kneeling in front of the girl, gently reposing her hands on her thighs.

"Hey, princess! How are you? I am Kagome, you see, I work here at the Imagination Pavilion." She pointed at her own name tag, making sure the child recognized her as a cast member and therefore a safe person to talk to. "Are you here all by yourself?"

The youngster drove her eyes to her direction very slowly, almost bored, and remained silent for a while until, pursing her lips together, she whispered:

"Rin is waiting for miss Kagura. She said she would buy Rin some ice cream."

"Oh, I see, Rin. How long has it been since she went buy the ice-cream?" Seeing as the girl made no movement to stand up, Kagome rose and sat to her side, keeping her voice collected and her features gentle, inviting.

In a move widely impressive for a girl of her apparent age, Rin brought her small wrist towards her face and checked the time in the tiniest golden watch Kagome had ever since.

"Rin thinks it past forty minutes now." Kagome breathed out her frustration. Maybe her guardian got lost? Maybe something happened to the older woman? She would not judge beforehand, but her whole body twitched in anxiety.

"That's a long time, Rin. See, would you mind if I stayed here with you for a while?"

Rin nodded her consent, raising her big brown eyes to watch the lady through her big lashes. Kagome thought it weird that such a tiny creature could be so collected, as if she knew, above any doubts, that no harm would ever come to her. This all-powerfulness, however, was not alike that normal one of children. This kid seemed to comprehend the world well enough, and still think herself above any danger. It wasn't the common lack of understanding that most children would show. It was confidence.

"Would you like that ice cream right now?" Kagome offered her hand, immediately regretting once the girl made no movement to hold it; she seemed a bit standoffish, perhaps physical contact frightened her.

"Rin has to wait. Miss Kagura has money..." Rin's whisper was barely audible. There was confidence, yes, present in the girl, but also annoyance, sadness, and even a bit of contempt.

"Don't worry about that right now. Here. Do you want an ice cream bar, an ice cream sandwich,...?"trailing off, Kagome let the air she had been holding when the girl held into her hand, grasping her palm with her tiny fingers in an hesitant manner.

"Rin wants to stay. Can we stay?"

"Of course, princess. We are not going anywhere. We will stay here for now, okay?" Kagome comforted her with a hand squeeze, to which Rin let out her first smile, showing off a tooth window. "Are you having fun today?"

"Yes!" Rin turned, facing Kagome and opening her arms to the sky. "Rin saw the stars and and and" she trailed off a bit, excitedly waving her hand in the air "flied over this huge waterfall! And Rin saw Mary Poppins!"

"Oh! That is so awesome. Is she practically perfect in person, too?"

"She let me take a picture with her umbrella! And said if Rin hid her tooth under the pillow it would grow its own beanstalk!"

"She is indeed very wise. But be careful with those beanstalks - they are known to cause lots os trouble. But you, young girl, seem to be very mischievous yourself!" Kagome commented between Rin's giggles. The kid feared no giant, it seemed. The glint of joy tinted her large eyes now, and to the cast member, that seemed like a completely different child from the one she found. Kagome's heart was overtaken by the sight. These were the precious moments of happiness she strived to create for the guests, these small changes in their days, their lives, held great significance for her.

Ten minutes flew by as the two talked about all sorts of matters. Kagome told Rin about this one time when she ate so much ice-cream she could not physically remove herself from the restaurant and had to be carried home. In return, Rin shared mores smiles and a bit about herself. She was six, or so she thought, and miss Kagura was her father's secretary, who would from time to time fill in as a nanny for her, taking her places or picking her up from school when her father was to busy to do so. He was a very busy, important man, she stressed, and she tried her best not to cause him any more problems than he already had at work. Kagome marveled in how mature the child sounded when talking about her father. She, a grown up, still called her father Dada and would melt in cuddles when she saw him, every few months apart. But Rin carried this proud air as she explained - the best a six year old could - her dad's job.

"Daddy has lots of places where he builds stuff. Like big stuff, like schools and malls. And then people pay him money to go there! So he can pay for Rin to go other places too!"

"You sound very proud of your dad, I bet he is amazing." Kagome smiled, affectionately patting the girl's hair.

"Ah! You can meet h..." she suddenly became silent, adjusting herself once more in the bench and hardening her expression into the confident little kid she had been before. "It would be nice if you could meet, but Rin never sees him much"

Kagome's heart dropped at the sight. For Rin's benefit, she had acknowledged her father's greatness, but between her and herself, she already hated a man who would leave his own daughter to the care of some irresponsible secretary, and who - as it seemed - barely took time to spend with her. There were no excuses and she felt no shame on judging the stranger.

"Well, you are at Disney! No need for you to be all serious-serious and grumpy!" The older woman cast it all off as she poked Rin's nose with her finger. "If you don't smile, I might have to tell Mary Poppins to give you a spoon full of sugar!"

Rin giggled and shook her head, looking around for a second. Kagome laughed along and took a small Figment sticker out of her pouch.

"Do you want to help me out, Rin? I can make you officially a cast-member-assistant with this special tag I got from Mickey himself!" She waved the sticker in the air, catching the girl's curious eyes.

"What does a cash member assistant does?"

"Cast member assistant, meaning you will help me do my job!"

"So Rin works for Mickey too?" She asked, bitting her bottom lip and peeling the sticker, placing it in the same spot Kagome's name tag laid.

"From this moment on, yes! But now you need to help me, okay? We have been lazying around for too long. I need to go talk to some people in the Odyssey. Can you come with me and help me make sure everybody in our way is happy?" She offered her hand.

Rin nodded, standing up and straightening her back as a proper employee; Kagome noted how good of an observer the girl was. She knew exactly what posture to take on. During the whole time given a responsibility, she seemed to forget she was supposed to stay where Kagura left her, and that she had asked that of Kagome. The cast member knew how to get her cooperating, and soon both were walking towards the island-building not far away.

Kagome had followed all the procedures this time. She waited with the kid for more than ten minutes in the same spot, waiting for her responsible adult to show up, but she never did. Now she would take her to the baby care center, where people would be more capable of helping her find the stray adult and maybe, if her hopes came to fruition, give her father a hard time for letting such an irresponsible woman take her to the parks.

"You are doing a great job, Rin! You should come work here with us for good, you know."

The girl's chest rose in pride. She was indeed doing a good job. During their way from one pavilion to the other, she had pointed several situations for Kagome to take control over. From guests clearly lost, with maps upside down, to an elderly woman unable to turn her acv on. By the time the girls arrived to their destination, an invisible bond had formed. Kagome was happy the youngster's shell had been broken and she then seemed more carefree and childlike, as a CHILD should be, after all. Rin, in her instance, looked up at the sweet lady with admiration, big eyes filled with respect and glee. She felt respected and cared for, things she hadn't realized she missed in her perfectly orchestrated life.

"Good afternoon, Elisa" Kagome greeted the lady in the front desk of the baby care center, actively moving the tie of her hand and Rin's up and down the air in delight. "Me and little Rin here have a lost grown up."

The choice of words made Rin giggle and hide her face in the gap between Kagome's coat and pants.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: unlikely connections

Half an hour had passed since their arrival, and Kagome began running out of tricks to keep Rin distracted from the very obvious fact she had been left behind by the adult supposed to supervise her. From talking about their favorite characters to drawing a card to her father - he would be pleasantly surprised, Rin gleed, because miss Kagome's handwriting was so beautiful it brought Rin's delighted words of love to an elevated graciousness - there was not much Kagome could do to avoid the bore-laced voice to ask the pressing questions.

"Will miss Kagura never come back?" although she might have sounded emotionless and disinterested for an also disinterested bystander, Kagome knew better. She dealt with kids daily, she dared even point that most of her social interactions for the past year had been with children. Rin's voice held an undertone of sadness and trepidation that rang much like her own social anxiety. The little girl feared being abandoned, and had so far done a great job pushing the fear aside for more rational thoughts. But now, both she and Kagome were confronted by the cold reality that, sometimes, people were just abandoned.

"Epcot is really big, princess. I am sure she will come back, when she finds her way. It is not uncommon for us to have lost grown ups, here, you see. It will be fine, we will find her and she will be fine." It was important for Kagome, as a cast member but also as a woman who dreaded rejection and abandonment more than anything in the world, to reassure Rin she wasn't the one lost; Kagura was the lost adult.

"Did something happen to her?" the younger found strength to worry, dropping the crayon she had been holding and fidgeting with her chubby fingers.

"Oh, no, no. Nothing bad will happen to you or your family here. We work hard to keep everyone safe - and happy." Kagome added, gently brushing a strand of Rin's hair behind her ear. She noticed a slight blush tempering her cheeks, and wondered what Rin was thinking at the moment.

She had not way of knowing, just then, how much Rin appreciated the tenderness with which Kagome took care of her. She had known little to no affection during her life. She knew her daddy loved her very much, she could see in his eyes or the way he struggled balancing work and her education. She knew he wasn't her biological father, and understood the deepest bond that they shared because he had chosen to protect and cherish her, above blood ties. But he was a very reserved, unapproachable man, and it took its toll on his adoptive daughter. She had hardened up to meet what she thought were his expectations. She would become strong, like him, and he would be proud of choosing her.

But then, looking up at the older woman, her mind shifted a bit, building a new bridge she didn't even know she wanted to cross. Kagome had only been with her for barely an hour, but she had warmed her way into little Rin's spirit.

For Kagome, however, this was another child she had been helping. They brought her joy, but they were too many and too ephemeral for her to allow any bond to form. It would be painful, since they came and went as the wind brought them.

"Can Rin work here too?" she suddenly asked.

"Of course, you just study hard and you can work anywhere you want to, Rin. You could be a pilot, or a doctor, or a cook! And anything you are, I am sure there will always be a spot for you here, should you still want to come back." Kagome's words were filled with emotion. She truly believed every single word.

"But for now..." she started, looking over Rin's shoulder to the other cast member waving at them. "I think our friend there has managed to contact your dad. Would you like him to come pick you up?" She tentatively asked, standing up and offering a hand to the smaller one.

"He won't come, he was in an important trip!"

The front desk cast member interrupted them, at that moment, talking from behind the desk. "Oh, he was very worried about you. He is coming back from Detroit as soon as possible, but he said your uncle" she checked her notes for a second "your uncle Inuyasha will be picking you up in an hour or so. I already called your leader, Kagome, you can accompany her until then."

Rin nodded, happy with that turn of evens. Her uncle was much better than Kagura. He had a foul mouth, but her daddy would always punish him for swearing in front of her, and Rin held a secret delight at seeing her father and uncle spar.

"Okay!" Kagome jumped suddenly, clapping her hands excitedly. "That leaves us with at least an hour before your carriage arrives, princess, for ice-cream, and... maybe..." she pondered, closing one eye in a playful expression "we could go and talk to the mouse boss, what do you think?"

Rin's eyes widened. Kagura hadn't wanted to stay with her in line to meet Mickey, and she had been slightly disappointed at that, but resigned nonetheless. She tried containing her excitement, but a high pitched squeal left her small frame.

Kagome laughed whole-heartedly. This was what she was here for.

#

Kagome had fed Rin not only an ice-cream, but several of them, when she was told the girl couldn't chose which one she wanted because she had never tried any of them. The cast member did realize it might be irresponsible of her to give the child so much ice-cream, specially since it seemed her father had never let her have much - if any - of it at all. But screw him, she thought. He is not here, and she was left all by herself! As far as she knew, Rin was entitled to all the ice-cream in the damn world!

They met Mickey, and Rin was out of herself when his warm hands hugged her tight and, surprisingly, he spoke! Adoration was becoming clear in her eyes for the mouse, and Kagome warmed up more and more.

Then, over an hour later, the radio Kagome had been given by the baby care center called her in, informing her of the arrival of the aforementioned Inuyasha. She was relieved someone had finally showed up, and at this point anger mixed with worry for the woman - Kagura. Had something really happened to her?

Rin was blabbering about her special meeting with Mickey when they entered the center again. Her voice was loud and animated like a child's should be, filling the room to the brim with joyful innocence.

When her eyes met those of a tall, white-haired man wearing beach shorts and flip flops, seeming so out of place, with a confused and worried expression in place, Rin immediately stopped talking and opened a bright smile that could have blinded Inuyasha.

He hesitantly smiled back, clearing his throat. Something seemed off, he wasn't used to Rin being so publicly bubbly.

"Oi, munchkin. Where the fuck is that Kagura bitch?" he realized his slip a second latter than Rin, who covered hear ears, bulge-eyed.

"OH RIN IS GONNA TELL DADDY!"

"Oh, come on, Rin! The bastard will kick my ass. It slipped."

Both laughed at that, because it was true. His brother would punish him, but it did slip. His personality couldn't be contained.

Kagome was mortified. She abhorred that type of language in a personal level, but hearing someone speaking like that at Disney was... plainly wrong. She wondered if the girl only had irresponsible people around her.

"Sir, please, mind the language." She commented as nicely as she could, for he was still a guest. Her inner will was to give his ear a full, but she was working, she didn't want to upset him, too.

Inuyasha finally looked at her. His eyes lingered for a second too long, immediately looking aways as if burnt by the mere image.

Kagome, being who she was, took this as a sign of his displeasure and blushed, looking away too, ashamed of whatever she thought he thought of her. Was she that repulsive? Or did he know something? Maybe reusing her costume hadn't been such a good idea, she felt scrutinized then by what she perceived to be his ill-opinion of her.

Inuyasha was simply uncomfortable, as he always was, in front of women he deemed pretty and innocent-looking.

Progressively anxious with the interaction, Kagome slightly pushed Rin towards her uncle and whispered, barely audible over all the ambient music in the park. "Well, since you are with family now, I must go back to work, Rin. Thank you for helping me out today, you made my work that much easier." She smiled shyly at the kid and turned her back, leaving them in a rush.

Inuyasha didn't have time to react. He had wanted to tip her, to pay her some gratitude for standing by his niece's side this whole time, and clearly making it a memorable time for the little girl. But she was gone before he could even check her nametag, leaving him in an awkward position, between his niece and the cast member who had assisted him before their arrival.

"Er... guess that's it, munchkin. Grab all your things and let's go."

"What about miss Kagura?" Rin asked, slightly taken aback by Kagome's swift departure, but obedient nonetheless.

"Oh, who cares. We will take care of her when the time comes..." Inuyasha whispered promises of vengeance. He was very protective of his young niece, and had already brewed deep hatred for the bitch who called herself secretary to his brother. She knew Kagura was fine, he could sense her aura not far away with his faint demonic senses. If she would remain fine, however, was to be seen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: deep trance,

Kagome's next day off was meant to follow, so she made plans to go ahead and hit the parks, make some good use of her spare time to get to know better some of the attractions she had still not get to know by heart. Those plans ended up tempered by a bad case of lack of energy when that morning rose. She messed around with her stuffed animals for a while, reimagining the plans she had made for the day, again and again and not following through with any of it for the rest of the day.

She only rose from bed when her computer began ringing obnoxiously. Grumping, she rolled around just enough to reach the laptop with the tip of her fingers and bring it towards the bed, where she laid again, this time on her elbows.

"Good morning" she greeted the Skype caller who had been trying to get a hold of her for what seemed like a good half hour. Her webcam popped up immediately, but the caller remained hidden behind the microphone sign.

"Good morning, dear. How was your night?" the baritone replied, his voice coated with a layer of sweetness that seemed oddly out of place. As though that voice had never meant by the gods to be sweet - it was built for dominance, and order.

"Well enough. After you put me to bed I slept through the night, but woke up so much earlier than I wanted to" she whined, stuffing her face in the pillow, inciting a giggle from the man on the other side of the line.

"Have you been in bed since?" he half-asked, half-criticized with a condescending tone.

"Well, it is my day off, and I just didn't feel like getting up just then..." she trailed off, never finding necessary to pretend to him her life had any other purpose than talking to him and the children at work.

"It's okay..." his voice was barely a whisper, sending chills down her spine. "Would you like to take a nap? If you are going to stay in bed, might as well rest a little bit more..." there wasn't really a question in that question. He was commanding her to nap, and she and her whole body knew well to fall in line. Her neck immediately felt the weight of her head, and her eyes fluttered close by their own accord.

"Do I have to, sir...? Can't I just stay here with you?" She managed the question behind a long yawn.

"I have to go to work. But if you go to bed now you should only wake up by the time I come back home, so it will all be fine, little one. You will barely notice I was gone..."

"I always know when you are gone, it's like my mind gets hollow." She whispered, to his satisfaction. He could see her back and the mane of dark hair framing her head in the webcam, since she was now laying completely fat on her stomach, but she had never seen his face live. She had his pictures alright, but she neither cared to ask for him to open his camera nor he wanted to. She wanted - no, she needed - his voice filling her days, filling her mind. Who and what he looked like were doubts of the past. She was far too deep into her dependance to actually care.

"Fall into my power, little girl..." his voice became severe in a snap, and her whole body came to attention, stiffening then relaxing as she felt every muscle contracting and becoming mush, the gentle sensation of floating and tingling taking over.

"That's better, isn't it?" He continued in a more gentle manner, watching her nod to the pillow. "What does a good girl do when she falls into my power?"

"Good girls drop..." she replied, voice rough with sleep and arousal.

"Good girl... good girls can't stop... In a minute I'll drop the call, but you will feel my will guiding you to sleep, and you will dream of me, dream of satisfying me. Won't you?" he asked, and at some point kagome wanted to say 'I don't know' because she could never really remember any of her dreams, but her mouth moved ahead of her mind and before she registered, she had answered:

"Yes, sir."

Kagome only returned to consciousness already deep into the night. She felt refreshed but had no recollections of dreaming, once again, and knew Naraku would be upset with it. He had been trying to get her to dream on command since they started their hypnosis sessions, with almost no success since.

She had dreamed of him a couple of times, but nothing led her to the conclusion he had been the one behind those dreams. They seemed more like a natural consequence of her devoting hours daily to him. Someone so engaged in the dynamics of her life was bound to show up in her dreams, eventually.

It took the woman a few minutes to realize he had called her several times in the previous minutes - and that was the reason she woke up. She immediately stood up, kneeling on the bed and typing back ' **I am sorry, it took me a while to wake up**.' to which he replied ' **Call me**.'

The call was fast and to-the-point. He made sure she was not going back to sleep, but as he himself had work to do around the house, he gave her a few personal tasks to keep her mind occupied - on him, always him.

That was how her days usually went on when she lacked the energy to resist the urge to pester him all day. It took, indeed, a lot of energy, for she had reached a point into their 'relationship' that she could not stop herself from telling him every little detail of what transposed in her days, from what she was doing to where she was going and whom she would meet.

An outsider could see the addiction for what it was, a man with a drive and a gift using it to take hold of the life of a woman who was too vulnerable to his control. He gave her directions when she lacked them, and filled her days with somewhat of a purpose - being his puppet. Not that she was anything of or to him. They had never talked about what would come of their chats, yet here she was, surrendered to the power of this man who was neither her friend nor her lover, but to whom she would give up anything and who proudly held her life in his words. In his voice.

#

When she arrived at work the next day, Kagome saw a little sticky note attached to a folder in the main table with her name on it. Her whole body froze, already expecting the worse. Was she being terminated from her job? She couldn't handle that. But they wouldn't do that through a sticky note, right? Right?

Her trembling hands reached for the folder and emptied its content on the table. A thick paper, very similar to a certificate, felt from it, and she could see the word "Applaus-o-gram" written on it in huge colorful letters. She immediately grabbed it with both hands and examined the content of the document she always longed for.

Someone called Inuyasha had recognized her, was the first information the grasped, but could not recall meeting this Inuyasha person. She proceeded to read the actual content of the recognition; he was the uncle of that little girl from the other day! He, despite all his roughness, had taken the time to go to guest relations and compliment her work - with sweet words, even - on not only protecting Rin, but making sure her day was the most magical she had had thus far. Her eyes filled slowly with tears. She fed off of those applause-o-grams. She didn't have that many of them, so he cherished each as a real award for the devotion she held for the guests.

"I see you found your applause-o-gram" the voice of one of her coordinators, Sango, and one of the few people she genuinely felt comfortable with backstage, called her to attention.

"Yes... this was very sweet of him, I did nothin but what anyone would have."

"I find that hard to believe, since he went to the lengths of coming back yesterday to talk to you in person." The coordinator dropped the comment as if it were nothing.

"He showed up in person...?" Kagome was bewildered.

"He and the girl. She seemed very excited to come back."

Kagome smiled inwardly, remembering the girl and the brief time they shared.

"I wish I was here when they came..."

"You never know... You might be the next time."

Kagome shrugged. She didn't think there would be a next time. They had already gone out of their way to surprise her, it would be preposterous thinking there was a chance they might do it again. She dropped that hope and went to work, ready for another day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - roots

Inuyasha was perplexed. When he brought Rin back home that day, the girl wouldn't stop talking about her new friend and all the things she wanted to do when she grew older and could work there, at Disney, too.

Her uncle had never seen the child so excited and impressed by a stranger before. Hell, she usually wouldn't be so expressive towards their own family members, let alone a random woman she barely met.

Sesshoumaru's flight ended up being delayed, and after the whole matter with Kagura had been solved - that was Sesshoumaru's problem, not his - his older brother didn't seem in such a rush to come back, anyway. He knew his daughter was well, and from their long chat later that day he surmised she was happier than he thought she could be, which was a bittersweet conclusion. He strived to make her happy. He realized he might not always show it in a fatherly manner, but her happiness was the ultimate goal of his life. He never knew where he went wrong, he was simply following his father's steps on raising him - and he had been a happy child, as far as he remembered. But Rin, his Rin, was missing something he couldn't pinpoint. She would rarely smile around him, and if she caught herself doing it, she would withdraw it immediately. She had grown up faster than he knew children was supposed to, reading material way beyond her age and isolating herself from the companionship of other children, favoring adults, listening, watching, always paying attention to them with her wide, curious eyes.

In their phone call that day, however, he caught glimpse of something he longed for, something he had been wishing upon wish for her to find. She sounded truthfully happy, no reservations. Her giggles still replayed in his mind, and even were he not a powerful demon with impeccable memory, he didn't think he could ever forget the exact notes of her laughter and the drawing of her smile when they facetimed.

When he finally returned home, she was more contained, but the effect of whatever she had gone through still lingered. She walked from one room to the other, collecting art supplies and working hard on something he wasn't allowed to see - yet.

That afternoon Inuyasha took her out, although he was only informed of their whereabouts once they were already gone. They would return to the parks, and although Sesshoumaru would usually not condone so much leisure time, his daughter was on school break and if she could find again whatever brought her true glee, he wouldn't stand in the way.

When Inuyasha and Rin returned home hours later, though, the rest of excitement had already washed off and she seemed collected, if not a bit distressed.

From Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru learned they had tried to find the human girl who had helped her the other day and show their gratitude, but missed her entirely. Rin left the drawing she made in her night stand that day, and Sesshoumaru got a glimpse of it when he went to check on his daughter during sleep.

The drawing was impressive, as almost everything Rin did, but lacked the seriousness of most sketches of him she used to gift her father with. This drawing was colorful and there were plenty of shapes and objects that did not fit together at all - although beautifully painted. It was almost like the scene she tried to depict was a dream filled with random ideas. This was her potential, he knew, her creativity showing through years of serious dedication to art. He always thought she would end up being an artist, she was truly gifted. But seeing that small drawing saddened him. Her greatest masterpiece - for a seven year old - and she was gifting it to a stranger.

He quickly snapped a picture of the drawing and covered Rin with another blanket before leaving with a lost expression.

#

Inuyasha returned to his life the next day, so Rin had no choice but approach Sesshoumaru with her out-of-character request.

"Daddy" she tiptoed to the couch where he sat, laptop open and eyes glued to funny things she didn't understand.

"Rin" he acknowledged her, closing the screen and giving the girl undivided attention.

"Do you think miss Kagura and Rin could go out today?" her request caught him off-guard. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that no one - including Rin - liked the presence of Kagura in his life. It just so happened she was a very fierce and aggressive secretary, which suited his needs in the business. Her last mistake, though, had been grave and he could no longer justify her usefulness, having not only fired the woman but made sure that, for her recklessness on caring for his child, she would never find employment in their state.

"We won't be seeing miss Kagura again, Rin." He didn't elaborate, as it wasn't necessary. Rin nodded, comprehending perfectly the woman had pushed her limits and enraged her dad, and she trusted his judgement so completely that, even though she wished no harm to Kagura, she didn't even consider doubting his actions. "I could take you, instead."

At that, Rin fidget, playing with her thumbs. She had far hoped for her father to spend more time with her, but she wasn't quite sure he would approve of her going to Disney World again, after two days in a row. He was a very straight-to-business sort of person, and usually found no use in that time of pass time.

"I just... maybe uncle Inu..." she whispered, unaware her words pierced deeply into Sesshoumaru's heart. He barely shifted his weight, the only sign he was bothered, and called her to his lap.

"Is there any particular reason you don't want me to accompany you, Rin?"

As she climbed his lap, hiding her shy face on his shirt, she whispered.

"Rin thinks daddy will be upset."

"Try me." He replied, also oblivious to his horrible choice of words to use with such an insecure child.

"Rin wants to go back to Disney." She blurted out, waiting for a blunt denial that never came.

"I see." He answered, patting her head. "Okay. This is how we will do it: make sure you train your reading for a few hours, and we will go afterwards. Does that work for you?" He compromised, unable to put aside his pragmatism for good. His reward came in the form of a bright smile and a tight hug around his neck.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Rin will do it now! AAHH!" She jumped from his lap and left the room without ever looking back to see the astonished expression of her dad's. Her hug still ghosted over his skin, he could feel her joy burning through it in a delightful way.

Yes. This would work fine for him, too. He needed a rest and he became increasingly curious of what had happened in that park to turn around his daughter's aloof personality, even if just for a few hours.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - spark in the dark

Sesshoumaru liked to think himself above foolishness, but when they left their house that day to go to Epcot, he surrendered to his daughter's wishes and put on a silly colorful wristband that matched hers and would concentrate their annual pass holder tickets, credit cards and contact information.

Rin was proud of her father, he was taking the whole ordeal very smoothly and she became more confident and more relaxed to show him a bubbly side he very rarely saw, prompted by his silent approval thus far. His magic band was yellow, just like hers, and it filled her with delight seeing her dad and herself matching when he himself had so few yellow articles, being a more neutral person.

Sesshoumaru had no idea what he was doing right - but Rin was opening up in a way he had long thought her unable to. For a brief period in her short life he even considered bringing her some professional help - maybe his child had gone through trauma and was permanently closed to others, or maybe she was born different, and he had thought he might seek help figuring those out. It ended up he didn't. He and Rin felt into a comfortable routine and he soon understood that her personality was much like his own, and there was nothing wrong with either of them except the fact that the world might not see them as they saw themselves.

Now, scanning their tickets in the main entrance of Epcot, he sure knew he had been wrong once again. She was nothing like himself, she only strived to be. That worried him, for he wanted his daughter to find her own peace, and he realized then it might not be in the same form he and his father found theirs. He would delve on it further, later.

Rin convinced him to buy a silly purple dragon hat as soon as they entered the theme park, and although he thought her cute in it, he couldn't grasp why in the seventh hell his child would want to look like a dragon. Demon dragons, oh, he knew them well, they were despicable, not at all the type of beings you would want to mimic with colorful merchandise. He took note that the humans of this age didn't know, however, of the existence of demons, let alone dragon demons, and for them that was a silly character made up to fill Disney's bank with more money.

They didn't immediately go to the attraction she wanted. Sesshoumaru felt a bit overwhelmed by the sea of auras surrounding them and demanded that they took sometime in the relaxation center, first. There he would center himself and pull his youki back, trying to settle into humanity the best he could, to tone down his senses and not have to worry about listening to thousands of conversations at the same time. That was the main reason why he preferred solitude; it was difficult dealing with the wave of information his senses received when out and about like that. He felt a bit dizzy, even.

Rin was bouncing, using a wand that played the most annoying tune in the wrong to produce little bubbles that followed them around anywhere they went. He glared at the apparatus, silently wishing it dead.

An hour later and more prepared to face the thousands of people - a number he hadn't seen together since the last war he fought on - Sesshoumaru took Rin in his arms and strode with decided steps across the park towards the famous Imagination pavilion. Famous for his child, of course, who could not stop pestering him about it.

They took to the non-existent stand by line and disappointment washed through the girl when she didn't see the source of her previous excitement anywhere around. Sesshoumaru didn't say a word, but was willing to pay someone to bring this girl from wherever she was at that point.

The ride itself got Rin really talkative. When they boarded the train, she held to the bar in front of them excitedly, interacting with the girl who came to close their doors with gracefulness and euphoria. She was granted a sticker - a print of the same damn purple dragon, again. It was starting to annoy Sesshoumaru; the mythical creature was everywhere, from the signs to the tvs and people's headpieces. He had never seen the creature before and now he was surrounded by its image and people praising it; he felt ignorant. Like he missed something he should've known, specially seeing as his child was particularly fond of the character. How much of Rin's preferences he was unaware of?

After a full cycle of a silly song and old-dated animatronics, they reached the end of the attraction and a voice ran through them very softly over the loud music, as the doors opened.

"Welcome back, everyone! Enjoy the rest of your day, don't let you imagination go rogue!" a few adults thanked the good wishes and a couple of children joined in the woman who was standing in the dark room far from them singing a few verses of the maddening song they had ben subject to during the ride.

"Imaaaaagination, imagination. A dream can be… a dream come true!" Sesshoumaru was about to leave with Rin when she dropped his hand and ran towards the woman in the control panel, making her abruptly turn a button - to keep the door from closing while they were still inside - and kneel in front of the child.

"Miss Kagome! Miss Kagome!" She stopped in front of the older woman, her eyes lit with delight. Kagome was a bit confused but didn't show it, her smile never faltering and her hand reaching for a stuffed animal - the damn dragon again.

"Hello, princess." Kagome moved the animal around, pretending it was it who was talking. Rin laughed whole-heartedly at her antics, and although Sesshoumaru had thought it immensely stupid when he saw it, through his daughter's giggles his opinion began to change. It was nice of the woman to take time of her obviously safety critical job to play silly with his daughter.

"Rin, we must keep going, we don't want to cause and accident." Sesshoumaru reminded her they were still in the unloading station, fully aware that, behind the cast member's show of courtesy was the need to keep the trains going so the ride could go on.

Kagome smiled thankfully at him at that, there weren't many parents exactly aware of the time they consumed when approaching certain cast members in certain positions, and she appreciated that. But now that the lights were fully on she could see the girl and thought she remembered her. That was the little one lost the other day, wasn't she? The one who came back looking for her.

Her heart filled with warmth at seeing her again, eyes alit with gratitude and gentleness.

Sesshoumaru heard her breath and heartbeat change before he was able to take a good glimpse at her. The woman was truly touched by whatever it meant to see Rin there again. When he finally saw her completely, he was unimpressed. She had full hair that fell in a cascade over her fair skin, but the classic beauty ended there. She had dark circles under her eyes that he thought might be permanently stained there, she was slightly chubby and her uniform did not fit her well. His eyes lingered in her smile, the plump lips curved and the eyes twinkling in all honesty. He was not a mind-reading youkai, but he thought he could see the truth in her eyes even then, they were honest and deep, like truly crystal-like water.

"Thank you, sir." Something twitched within him with the way she whispered the word 'sir', as if it carried a million meanings behind it. And by the slight pick of speed of her heartbeat, he knew it did. He wished he could decipher it, but opening his senses to her smell or her breath pattern would make it impossible to tune out of the thousands of other people surrounding them, too. He didn't want that. The small curiosity she enticed was not worth the trouble.

"Wait! But Rin just got here! Here, Rin made this for miss Kagome." The girl patted her coat in search of the artwork she prepared, and Kagome held it gently in her hands, like she was being passed the most precious gift. Sesshoumaru kept cynically observing her behavior; not more than thirty seconds had gone by since they arrived in the unload zone, but it felt like he had been analyzing her for centuries just then.

"Thanks so much for the drawing… It is marvelous. You truly have unleashed your imagination, huh? Figment will love it when I show it to him, later!" She commented chirpily, adding briefly "I need you to go outside now, my assistant cast member. The other carriage is arriving and we don't want everybody stuck with dr. Channing forever, right?" At this, Rin nodded enthusiastically, filled with a renewed sense of duty, and pulled her father out of the room, intent on riding again and again, eyes lit with the ingenuous happiness of youth.


	6. Chapter 6

(Thanks everyone for the lovely reviews. It means the world to me. I am coming back from a small hiatus, because I am just now readjusting to my schedule as a college student. Lots of things to do, so little time! Have an amazing week, I will be back soon. :))

Chapter 6 - acquaintances, smiles and smacks.

Sesshoumaru and Rin rode that same ride several times that day. Even he, the stoic daiyoukai, now knew the soundtrack of the attraction by heart. Had someone told him beforehand that he would end up spending precious - and expensive - hours of his days watching a purple dragon turn its house down with the power of imagination, he might have had them committed.

Rin was beyond herself with happiness. When night arrived, she had already convinced her father of buying not only that funny hat, but all available merchandise.

Kagome had crossed their paths a few times during this day, always solicit, joyful and sweet, everytime they met she would make a scene, bowing to Rin and inquiring about how her majesty was enjoying her day.

It was dinner time when he saw her outside of her regular positions. She had a backpack carelessly thrown on one shoulder and strode through the park with a purpose. Rin was busy eating her Mac and cheese, so Sesshoumaru took this precious moment to see how the cast member acted when they were not around.

Kagome greeted every single guest that made eye contact along the day, stopping occasionally to recognize a few of their buttons and wish a happy birthday or happy anniversary, according to the demanded situation. Even when their backs were turned, she kept a longing expression in her face, as if those children were personal acquaintances of hers, not strangers. Against his previous belief, she acted thus with some adults, too. Many of them, actually. At one point, when she was almost out of sight, he caught her hi-fiving an older gentleman out of nowhere. He wished he could hear what was being said, but the fond expression left on the gentleman's was more than enough.

He and Rin returned home not long after that, he driving and she sleeping, having exhausted herself with the long day of studying and playing. It felt right, hearing her soft breathing beside him, kneeing she slept peacefully after a long day of normality. Of fun.

The word seemed a bit alien to the daiyoukai, but he could see himself pursuing it more for his daughter. He could fun. Hell, he could be anything!

#

Sesshoumaru sat in his study, going through some old files that needed sorting, when Inuyasha came barging in.

"I can't fucking take this anymore! The pest is torturing me!" He threw his body on one of the comfy chairs.

"What is it this time, Inuyasha?" sesshoumaru replied in a bored tone. He could care less for the peace of mind of his brother - for all he cared the hanyou needed some torturing to grow some.

"Rin! Se has played that same fucking song for a week now!" He threw his hands up, not bothering to specify the song. The whole household already knew it from back to back.

"Watch your mouth when talking of my daughter, half breed. Besides... you were the one always telling her to have fun. She is a very persistent girl." He smiled sheepishly. He hadn't been around the girl that much during that week to actually despise the song yet. The fact that Inuyasha's patience had reached the brink already was amusing.

"Oi, you bastard. If you don't play nice imma give your home security code to Kagura"

Sesshoumaru brushed the threat off and resumed working. Eventually Inuyasha gave up on trying to rob his brother's attention and took off with Rin for a bonding date out that would erase the damn song from her brain. So he hoped.

Buying school supplies was one of Rin's favorite activities. It was a delight Sesshoumaru always granted, since education was above all other activities for him, and he would always provide her with anything to make it inspiring. To make sure the girl wanted to go back to school and start using her new crayons or colorful sketch books and funny pens.

Inuyasha never understood the appeal. He had been the worst student, and he still knew his father resented him for that. He had only been forgiven for dropping out of college because the head of the family, Inutaisho, had one other priority: grandchildren. Inuyasha, although not responsible or intelectual, seemed to fill in just perfectly the void Inutaisho and Sesshoumaru couldn't in Rin's life. His carefreeness played an important part in her childhood, when neither her father or grandfather could do much to ease her loneliness - they were demons, they didn't know how to raise a human child, although they did their best, loving dearly the girl.

As Rin explored the store, he threw himself in a couch in the back, keeping an eye out for the girl but giving in to the boredom. His eyes roamed, stopping at a vaguely familiar mane of hair and shape of body around the sharpies isle.

#

Kagome was going through the packages and packages of sharpies, trying to figure out which ones she could afford, when she locked eyes with golden, curious orbs that roamed her face unapologetically.

Inuyasha recognized her at spot, but her sight seemed dazed and stint, as though she saw right through him. HIs mouth twitched a few times but never opened, and she resumed shopping, not talking or acknowledging his presence.

The awkward balance was broken by a loud shriek piercing their ears. Kagome's interest was caught at last, and she turned to the source of the sound, finding Rin running towards her uncle with a Mickey Mouse pen. Kagome covered her mouth, chuckling, eyes softening.

Rin turned automatically to the chuckle, face lightening up in recognition. "Miss Kagome!" she shouted, and the older woman's brain shot in overload, trying to work out the name of the kid. She thought back to that day, making the associations she previously had between her name and random things. It rhymed with sin, she was sure. Kagome conjured the memories of those short hours together and her mouth moved by itself.

"Rin." She curtsied with her chest, smiling shyly at the child that ran to her encounter.

"Miss Kagome, miss Kagome! Do you live nearby?" the bluntness of the inquire made both Kagome and Inuyasha - who had then joined them - choke. Rin's uncle could do nothing but stare shocked at the girl, who had never asked such a personal question to an adult before.

"Oh, well" Kagome bit her lower lip, haven't yet recovered from such a personal question. She wasn't used to actual human interactions; the most she got from those were the guest-cast dynamic, and usually guests showed no interest in her personal life as long as they were being the center of the attention. "Aha, yes. I live nearby." She nodded, finally.

Rin felt her chest burst in happiness. It was one more information about the evasive older woman, and she felt victorious.

Inuyasha paid close attention to the exchange between females. They had driven downtown to buy the supplies, and there were really no good neighborhoods around. His gaze traveled over Kagome's appearance secretly, noticing how uncomfortable she felt; eyes slightly wide, fingers fidgeting with the pack of pens and body turned slightly towards the exit, she seemed to be ready to bolt.

Kagome's hair was pulled up in a messy bun that showed both her negligence with her looks and her effortless sweetness. Her clothes were no better. She wore leggings with small holes in the side, probably unnoticeable by those who didn't care to look for it, old ballerina shoes and a large, cheap, masculine sweater. Inuyasha didn't need to have his brother's brain to understand - or think so - that she had a rough time financially.

He glanced surreptitiously to her shopping cart, taking note of the several packs of sharpies she had piled alongside cheap bread and pasta. When he raised his eyes once more, Kagome was directly staring at him, her cheeks blushed and her mouth tightly sealed in a thin line.

"Oh, you really need a lot of sharpies." Inuyasha recovered from the awkward position of getting caught spying on what she was buying by making a spirited remark.

"Oh! Uncle Inu is right. Are you going to draw something big, Miss Kagome? Can Rin help?" Rin barged in, eyes alit.

"I am not… I won't buy all of them." Kagome sluttered, pulling her cart away from both the intruders. "I just need to check the prices… I will put them back." She defended herself - although there was nothing really to defend against. In her mind, though, they were both judging her. For what she was never quite sure - her imagination built several scenarios. But she could feel the burn of their opinions. She rather look like the poor college student she was than like a freak.

The hanyou sighed, regretful. He didn't mean to distress the girl. She was actually very… endearing, with her mannerisms and shyness. She had done a lot already bringing forth a more carefree Rin, and he felt like he owed her some peace, at least, for that.

"I wasn't prying, you know. Anyway. It doesn't matter. Don't you have work today?"

She simply nodded negatively.

"Perfect! The bastard can't say I never have good ideas…" Inuyasha began, being caught by surprise by a smack in the back of his neck.

"Language!" he stared, wide-eyed, at Kagome. She had just smacked his neck… She… She looked a bit like Sesshoumaru, then, hands in hip, scolding him. Rin also looked very surprised, then amused, until she burst in laughter.

"OI who do you think you are to smack me, woman?" Inuyasha was bright red, ashamed for being treated like a puppy. Kagome hesitated a bit, regretting her hot-headed reaction, but soon came to the conclusion that he was not really mad, just embarrassed. She could empathize with that.

"I am no one… I am sorry. I just… I am sorry." She lost track of her excuses and turned around to leave them both.

"Wait!" the man took hold of her hand, taken aback by the warmth in it. "Maybe you can help me. You look like you know how to deal with children. Maybe you could help… us."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: what are you suggesting?

Kagome flinched instinctively from Inuyasha's touch, yet she remained calm, although her body tensed and her mind turned on escape mode. She didn't feel safe being touched by strangers, but at the same time, there was a very welcome warmth in the sensation. She barely ever felt any human contact whatsoever, so she didn't break it.

"Sure, if I can…" was answered before she could help herself. Truth be told, Kagome didn't want to compromise her life or her time more than she already did to other people, but she did it mechanically, anyway. Perhaps it was a cast member thing, being helpful, even subservient sometimes.

"You and Rin seem to get along very well… and you gals at Disney are very paranoid with that safety shit, so, could you name someone or maybe yourself take over for me babysitting tonight?" he knew it was a long shot, but he rarely ever had good ideas, and he knew this was a good one.

Rin's eyes were immediately on them, and Kagome resented the pressure that the girl was pulling on her. She felt a bit ashamed of the presumption that she was a baby seater, but it was the true, nonetheless. She had, for several times, filled in as one. People liked that she worked as a cast member. And she did need the money. Although… He hadn't mentioned any money. Her face contorted; damn, she couldn't mention any money.

As if on cue, he did.

"Of course, I would pay you. My brother would." If at all possible, Kagome became redder at that, pulling her hand from his and coughing, turning her face away from the family and closing her eyes, very embarrassed.

"What are you suggesting? That I need your money?" she spit before she could stop herself, and regretting it immediately, of course.

"What? No…? Damn no. It is just… You would be working so… Of course it would be paid. Damn. I didn't… No." Inuyasha blushed, too. He hadn't even considered offending her, although he had, of course, noted how beneath him she was, money-wise.

All of them remained absolute quiet for long seconds, until Rin burst the void with the high-pitched voice. "Miss Kagome, it will be so much fun! You have to join Rin! Please, please."

Her pleases closed the deal, Inuyasha was sure, and the smug smile framing his face annoyed Kagome slightly. She turned to the kid and kneeled to her side, patting her head gently.

"Okay, Rin. I will go back home with my things and call your father to make sure he agrees with all of this" she threw a sour look at Inuyasha at that moment, sure Sesshoumaru didn't know of this spur of the moment decision "and if he does, I will join you for the night, ok?"

Rin threw her tiny arms in a tight hug around the older woman's neck, surprising both the adults.

"Rin knows he will! Thank you, thank you miss Kagome!"

"Don't be silly, Rin. If we are going to be friends now… You can call me just Kagome, sure?"

#

Sesshoumaru was livid. Sure, he was thankful his daughter had had a fun day at a theme park. He was thankful she had returned home happy, carefree and ready to show more affection towards her family. Sure, he was even thankful they had returned to the park and met the person who touched his daughter in that way once more and he got to see how genuine the effect had been, but it didn't mean, for a split second, he had considered bringing that woman home as personal employee of his. To work closely to his kid. This was some crazy non-sense of his brother. He had to be punished later.

But how could he say no to Rin when she already seemed convinced the girl was about to arrive at anytime? When her plushies, neglected since bought, were lined up in the living room, surrounded by tea supplies? No. He resigned himself to cancelling the plans he had made that night - he was suppose to attend to an important business meeting, hence the need of a baby seater - to secretly supervise the two. He was a daiyoukai, after all. It was beneath him, but not above him.

Inuyasha knew he was in trouble but didn't bring it up. He followed through with the plans he made with the his friend Kouga. He had wanted to go to this soccer game for weeks and Sesshoumaru threw this baby seating problem at him last minute. Bringing Kagome in the picture would fit not only his purposes in going to the game but keeping Rin alit, since he realized by then the girl needed more of that mojo Kagome had in her day to day. The little girl couldn't keep being brought up by only mister stick-up-his-ass Sesshoumaru.

He was gone by the time the woman rang the bell of the menacingly big mansion. She felt small, insignificant, looking up that huge wooden door that seemed older than her. Cowering within herself and picking her skin absently, Kagome listened patiently for someone to open the door.

Tiny rushes steps could he heard on the other side, and soon the huge door was moved slowly by very small hands of a giggly figure. It took longer for that little creature to move the door than it had for it to answer it, and that lifted Kagome's apprehensive spirits. She giggled to, kneeling in front of Rin as soon as she saw her, squealing surprisingly.

"Oh my goddess, Rin! You are so strong! I couldn't have moved that door by myself! What have they been feeding you, girl?" she prodded the girl's arm with her index finger, and Rin bursted with laughter, opening space for Kagome to get in the mansion with her.

The satisfying sound of his daughter's laughter filled the house and called Sesshoumaru to prompt attention. He was standing by the living room when they arrived, both in laughter, his eyes unwillingly scrutinizing the scene.

"Miss Kag.." Rin began, but to Sesshoumaru's surprise, soon corrected herself "Kagome, this is Rin's father."

"We have briefly met at Epcot." Kagome curtly answered, but bowed nonetheless at her waist awkwardly - why did she do that, she thought back - blushing and turning back to her host. "Kagome Higurashi."

"This Sesshoumaru is pleased you were available at such.. Short notice. The whelp of my half-brother shouldn't have imposed. It was his job." His baritone voice was cold and to the point and Kagome understood at once from whom Rin had inherited the cold demeanor she showed when they first interacted, as well as the bad habit of speaking in the third person. She wondered how such an accomplished person retained that type of vice of language, even if it only happened occasionally.

"It was no problem, at all. I am sure he had something important to do…"

"I highly doubt there is ever anything important in INuyasha's life. His life would have to be of importance for that argument to be made."

"That is a very harsh thing to say. Specially in front of someone that seems to consider him very, very dearly." Kagome squeezed her eyes, admonishing him silently. That was not taken lightly.

Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth and tightened his eyes menacingly, fighting the urge to barke at the woman. Who the hell did she think she was to address his opinion of his brother like such, in front of his daughter, at that? It almost seemed like she was challenging his status as both the owner of the house and father of Rin.

He knew that not to be true, rationally, though, and controlled his youkai urges, breathing deeply and refusing her any answer.

"If you don't need any further assistance, this Sesshoumaru will proceed to his meeting. I trust you will keep everything in order. Rin must be in bed by nine. Good night." With that, he pat the child's head and left in a haste, saying nothing more, leaving behind an exciting daughter and a bewildered Kagome.


	8. What happened to the story? READ!

Long time no see!

First of time, thanks for the immense support I have received in the short work I put for this story!

This is something I began writing because i HAD TO take it out of my system immediately, and didn't really put much thought into, just DID it.

As I progressed into the work, though, it became more and more difficult to write the story as it had to be written for the characters as they already exist (as it is a fanfiction).

What happens is... this is a real story. This is something that happened to me, while working at Disney, this is my experience both as a cast member and as a longtime subject of erotic hypnosis. So there came a point when Kagame and Sesshoumaru's personalities and stories, but mostly Naraku, couldn't possibly accommodate what I wanted to tell, specially because they are too black and white, too good and bad people, and you, as readers, are already inclined to like or hate one or the other.

So I decided to move this story to WATTPAD. If you liked it this far, I ask that you move with me and support me there. I will repost it in the following days, because I have to chance the names and a few details (Rin's speech pattern goes back to normal, for instance), and remove most of the references do Disney World as a place, to avoid future legal problems lol.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SUPPORT.

I AM WAITING FOR ALL OF YOU!

story/107603661-mindful-of-ness/parts

First chapter already reposted:

405155564-mindful-of-ness-chapter-one-all-about-that-magic


	9. Chapter 9

As mentioning, IM reposting this story there. I reposted the second and third chapters today as a new and improved chapter 2, and along with it I posted a song that always gets me into sub/hypno/space, for those who are into kinky stuff. :)

The name of the story has changed to .mindful of Ness, under the pseudonym of Rebecca Dover, a little play of words that I hope is self explanatory xD 3

Hope to see you there soon

(wattpad) my. w .tt/UiNb/9wPcjfOoMC


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